


Tonight

by risquetendencies



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: AU - Older, F/M, HeatTagShipping, Sinnoh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-03
Updated: 2013-05-03
Packaged: 2017-12-10 07:43:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/783539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/risquetendencies/pseuds/risquetendencies





	Tonight

This night was quickly becoming a disaster. Even so, there was nothing at the outset to hint that something very important indeed was going to happen. It was just another bump in the long road to becoming Top Coordinator, and Dawn hadn't give it much consideration due to the fact she had no real reason to. She was more focused on the problem at hand.

She had been traveling on her own for a long time, but experience can't teach you everything. Besides, she had never thought of herself as the type to plan ahead, and thusly, she never did. Still, she hadn't had _very_ many problems over the years since she left Ash's group to go her own way. She'd usually make it far enough to sleep in a Pokemon center each night, and be able to call her mother to let her know her only daughter was okay. Things had generally, worked out.

Tonight though, it had been different. Her plans had been thrown entirely out of whack. Due to her un-preparedness, she hadn't had any medicine on hand when a trainer she'd stopped to battle with had paralyzed Piplup with his Gloom's Stun Spore. That had been this afternoon, and she'd been carrying her little friend ever since, walking in the hope that nothing bad would happen in the meantime. She was sure she had to run into a Pokemon center sometime soon, right?

The sky was overwhelmingly dark now, and it was getting harder to even see where she was going. All she could make out was that there was a forest coming up ahead. It didn't look like those trees were going to thin out any time soon either. She would have to camp out whether she wanted to or not. First though, she _had_ to do something for Piplup. He wasn't very much hurt other than the paralysis, but he was her friend and she was deeply concerned for him. He had a hard time of even making his normal cries of "Lup, pip lup!" when she spoke to him.

"Oh Piplup, I am _so_ sorry!" Dawn cried, stopping by the side of the path. "I promise I am going to make it all better, and then the first center I see, I'll let Nurse Joy take care of you. We have to reach one tomorrow, okay?"

"Lupppp," the tiny penguin Pokemon chirped, his round eyes appraising her sadly. He didn't like when his trainer was acting this way, and he couldn't even do his job and cheer her up.

Dawn worked for the next few minutes, setting up her sleeping bag and leaning her backpack against a rock. When she was ready, she laid Piplup down on the sleeping bag; she then took of her scarf, and wrapped it around him for extra warmth. He seemed to object to this by the stubborn look he gave her a second later.

"Now don't give me that, Piplup. I don't want you to be frozen in the morning; it's really cold tonight, and you know it!" she reprimanded him, tucking the scarf's end in underneath him so he couldn't unravel it. Finally satisfied, she plopped down on the sleeping bag too, and tried to think.

If Ash or Brock were here, they'd know what to do. But what would they do in a situation like this?

Well, Brock would probably have medicine, because he took pride in being stocked up on all the things they needed on their journeys. The revelation did little to help her self-esteem; all she could do was look at her tiny penguin Pokemon and feel eons worse than she had seconds ago.

"Piplup, I'm sorry. You don't deserve someone who's as dim as me!" she wailed suddenly, her hands flying up to cover her face as tears streaked down it. She felt frustrated with herself. Did she always have to forget the important things? No wonder Mom worried about her constantly. She got that, now. Maybe she was grown up after all.

"Lup!" Piplup chirped sharply, futilely trying to turn his body so that he could stand. He was angry with his mistress for being this mean to herself. Why didn't Dawn realize that he didn't want any other trainer but her, even if she did forget a lot of things? Human girls and their mood-swings… he would never understand it, and that was one of the reasons he was kind of glad that he was a Pokemon and not a boy.

Dawn stared blankly ahead. It was getting late, and yet…. An idea occurred to her, and she scrambled on her hands and knees over to where her backpack was, digging through to the very bottom of the bag until she found what she was looking for. This had to at least tell her _something_ she could do!

She pulled her Pokedex out, and flipped the screen open. It booted up immediately, and she searched under the move Stun Spore and its antidotes. "An effective antidote for Stun Spore can be made by boiling the leaves of the Salveo weed. Salveo weed is found on clear lake bottoms," Dexter told her in his computerized voice.

It took a few seconds for the knowledge to sink in, but then, she was alit with inspiration. "That's it, Piplup! There's a lake a few minutes back, remember! I'll go and get you some of that Salveo weed, and then you can be all better!"

Her face dropped though as she then realized she'd have to leave him there if she went off to gather the plant. Then again, why couldn't one of her other Pokemon keep an eye on Piplup while she was gone? 'Good idea, Dawn!' she congratulated herself as she reached for the rest of her Poke-balls. But who to be the look out? She supposed Mamoswine was a good choice: many people and Pokemon would be intimidated by his size, and that was perfect.

"Mamoswine, come on out and watch Piplup while I'm gone!" she called, releasing the mammoth Pokemon from his ball. He grunted softly, indicating that he'd heard her request. "Don't let anyone near him, okay? I'm going to get something to use for medicine, and you're in charge, right Mamoswine?"

Mamoswine bellowed its response. It would always do its best for its trainer, and she should know that.

Dawn smiled.

"Okay. I'll try and hurry back."

She felt as if she were leaving her own child behind, and the thought depressed her more than she could express, which would explain the burst of speed that developed out of seemingly nowhere as she began her quest. The forest may be dark, but the lake wasn't that far back, and she had a good idea how to get there. Granted she did not calculate her chances if she had run into any unruly wild Pokemon on the way there, but in this part of her night at least, she was lucky.

She made it there in one piece.

The lake waters were a midnight blue as she approached the shoreline. As it seems to be near any body of water, there was a small breeze that caused her to throw her arms around herself and shiver for a moment. There was no denying that the lake would be even colder when she had to go in it. Still, this was something she had to do. Piplup had always been there for her when she needed it. Tonight she would be repaying his loyalty, and that gave her the gall to pull off her jacket and shoes. It would help having at least _one_ dry piece of clothing to put on after the swim.

She was left in her usual pink skirt and white tank top, and she tied her hair back in a ponytail, hoping that it wouldn't get in her way when she was trying to look around underwater.

Howls from the distant woods could be heard, and for a moment she was glad that she hadn't pressed on and had to camp there instead. Who knows what kind of wild Pokemon could be running around? It was definitely a different story, traveling by her lonesome self. Going around the region with the boys there, she'd felt protected in a way she hadn't felt ever since heading out on her own. In retrospect, she supposed she was a bit stubborn. She _could_ have had a traveling partner if she'd really tried to get one. It wasn't as if Dawn had a shortage of friends, who like her, were trainers or coordinators on the go.

"Hoooo, Hoot Hooot!" crowed a voice nearby. She looked around in shock, turning to find that it was only a little Hoot-Hoot. It was perched on a boulder by the water, its head turned sideways, surveying her with its luminous red eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hi there, Hoot-Hoot. Do you mind keeping me company while I'm here at the lake? It's kind of scary out here," she admitted in a squeaky voice, glancing around out of habit.

Hoot-Hoot was staring back at her when she'd finished talking. It hooted once more, and then with a hearty hop on its one leg, it flew into the air, headed for the high branch of a tree a few feet down the shoreline. Dawn groaned audibly.

"Never mind… I guess I get what you're trying to tell me. You're right Hoot-Hoot. I need to get it together and do this myself. For Piplup's sake!"

She stood up straight, threw her shoulders back, and took a deep breath. One foot in front of the other, she waded into the water until she was knee-deep. Not that she could especially tell in this dark, but she was certain it must not be a very deep lake. Which was good for her, as that meant there wasn't the depth or space for any really terrifying Pokemon to live here, like Feraligatr. She didn't have to worry so much about things lurking in the dark.

The water was not cold, it was _freezing_. She felt chilled to her very core, but still she trudged on. When she was getting deep enough, she prepared herself. Then at the very last moment, she sucked in air and held her breath. It was then that she dove, her arms working over time to propel herself downward.

Though it wasn't the most comfortable feeling, she kept her eyes open, trying desperately to see through the cloud of murky water to locate the plant that looked like Salveo weed. She knew it was a deep green color, and sort of a squiggle pattern. The Pokedex said it would be at the very bottom of the lake. Despite her previous calculations, that seemed to be much farther down than she'd thought.

She _had_ to be getting closer, right?

Dawn kept swimming, thinking to herself that she might have to feel around the lake bottom to find the Salveo weed if it was a murky down there. The thought unnerved her slightly - reaching around blindly in dark water freaked her out more than she could express. Still, it had to be close now.

She swam forward with a powerful wave of her arms, cutting through the water even with the resistance it gave her. She swam forward into the cloudy abyss, and then suddenly, she was stopped. Her whole body seemed to tense up, and she could feel the beginnings of an indescribable hurt up top.

What was a rock doing underwater?

Her eyes widened to an unnatural range, and the splitting pain in her head felt like it would never subside. Her arms flailed futilely against the water, making no headway as before. It seemed useless. Even now she could feel the burn in her lungs that indicated there was going to be no way out of this one. She was trapped in a completely different world, one that wasn't about to let her out alive.

Her eyes closed.

The last thing she remembered seeing was a small trail of red cloud the water in front of her, finally managing a color other than muddy brown. She wondered if she would wake up from this.

* * *

**x**

**x**

**x**

_What in the world?_

"Your head should be fine in the morning, Dawn. I have it all bandaged and cleaned. Head wounds are real bleeders, but it was only a small laceration as far as I saw when I inspected it. Lucky for you, don't you think?" a man's voice chatted to her in an even tone as she hovered between sleep and consciousness.

There was a small silence in which she noticed how odd her body felt. She felt tired, run-down even, and her throat was aching. Sleep sounded so good right now… so restful, like the best thing would be to never wake up again. Yeah, that sounded wonderful, she thought hazily to herself. Maybe I'll just go back to bed now, and this'll all feel better later.

"Of course, I would be more certain about her recovery if I was able to wake her," the man murmured to himself thoughtfully. She thought she detected a note of worry there, and felt a sudden rush of gratitude towards whoever he was. It was indescribable, having someone there to take care of you again when you'd been on your own for so long like she had these past few years.

Furthermore, this guy had saved her life. It was all coming back to her now - Piplup tucked away in her scarf, fighting paralysis, her going underwater for that Salveo weed and hitting her head on the rocks. Even the Hoot-Hoot she'd encountered before going in was fresh from her memory.

His voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She'd met so many people on her journeys. He had to be one of the number, if he knew her name. Or maybe he'd found her trainer ID card with the rest of her stuff. That too was a distinct possibility.

"I'll be right here if you need me. I'm just going to do some reading." He spoke again, sounding more peaceful this go around. She warmed even more to the notion that he was talking to her even if he thought she couldn't hear him. It was kind, it was very polite of him. Maybe she wouldn't go back to sleep after all. It was nice here too, in the land of the waking.

She forced both eyes open, telling her body it was time to get up. She wanted to at least thank the person who'd helped her, and frankly, she was worried about Piplup and the others. Were they outside still, waiting for her to come back? Would they think she had abandoned them there? The thought was too terrible to contemplate, given she'd never do something like that. She wasn't like that jerk, Paul, for instance, who'd toss a Pokemon at the first sign of weakness.

A warmly lit room with cedar-paneled walls came into focus. Its roof was painted hunter green, and from what she could feel and see, she was lying down in bed. There were several heavy blankets arranged over her, and all in all, she was very comfortable. A glance to the right, and she noted a large workspace complete with a desk that had a lamp and a laptop perched on its surface. Sitting at the desk, head bent in concentration over some thick tome, was someone she indeed recognized, but yet, was quite surprised to see, especially after all this time.

While she was staring, he happened to look over and noticed her doing so. Smirking as mischievously as she remembered, he greeted her. "Ah, Dawn, I see you've finally decided to grace me with a more cognizant presence."

Her first audible response was "Conway?" Secondly, "Cognizant?"

He chuckled, whipping off his glasses in order to dust them. "It simply means you're awake. And I'm quite glad you are too. I was beginning to worry I hadn't treated the problem in the correct manner."

"No need to worry!" she blurted out.

"I'll be fine. Really! Thank you for saving me. I don't know how I can thank you, but … thanks a million." She flashed him a quick smile.

"I'm sure you'll be glad to know I brought your Pokemon here as well. Piplup is resting in another room, and he too should be fine in the morning. He was concerned for you, I believe, but I got him to settle down eventually."

She could have hugged him if she had felt like getting up.

"He must have known I was in good hands," she said. He blushed slightly from where she could see, but she didn't think anything of it at the time.

Conway stood up and moved closer to the bed, his eyes scanning her. "So, how are you feeling then? Does anything hurt?"

"I'm mostly just tired," Dawn murmured. "That was scary, I think it about drained the life out of me."

He sat on the edge of the bed. "You know, it wasn't very smart to go swimming after dark, especially with no supervision." Even though the words were what they were, she didn't feel like he was scolding her. He was just concerned like any normal person would be, and so she nodded her agreement with what he said.

"I promise I won't try it again."

"Glad to hear that."

"Conway?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not deliberately trying to change the subject, but you wouldn't have some sort of phone, would you? I usually call my mother when I get in for the night, and I don't want her to worry about me."

"I do, but it's in another room. Do you feel okay to walk?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, making him feel silly for asking, "I mean, one little near-drowning isn't going to get _me_ down."

"I envy you for being able to put it like that. Usually people with near-death experience take it an entirely different way. That's normally how things happen, or so I've read."

"You're not wrong about that… I'm just… different, I guess," the girl mused aloud, shooting him a smile that told him instantly she didn't think him silly in the least.

"Different in a nice way," he clarified, standing up. He began to lead the way to the phone, not noticing the girl lying in his bed had blushed at his comment. Which was unfortunate, as he would have rather liked to know about things like that.

* * *

**x**

**x**

**x**

_Hopefully she wouldn't mind too much..._

"Mom!" Dawn said loudly into the phone, as if that would excuse the lateness of the call. "Mom, I am _so_ sorry for making you wait, but I've had some kind of night like you wouldn't believe. No need to worry though, I'm fine!"

"That's when I worry the most Dawn, you know that," Johanna sighed on the other end. Glameow hopped up on the kitchen table where she had taken the call, brushing its curly tail against the cheek of its beloved trainer as if it wanted to wipe away the tension she was feeling, worrying about her only child out there in danger. Johanna ruffled the fur on Glameow's back, thanking it for its companionship. Glameow, losing interest quickly, curled up on the table, and began to purr quietly. It had done its good deed for the day. Now was the time for a late night cat nap. She hoped her trainer would turn out the lights soon.

"Exactly what kind of night are you having when you call your mother at 11:30 PM? That's after the Pokemon center curfew! You did make it to the center, right, Dawn?"

"Of course Mom! Geez, do you think I can't do anything on my own?" Dawn lied in her most carefree voice. It would be the worst of the worst embarrassments if her mother ever found out she'd nearly drowned, missed curfew, and on top of it all, was staying in someone's house in the woods. She was grown up, and there was nothing she wanted more than for her mother to acknowledge it. If Johanna knew what she was really doing, she'd never get that kind of respect, not for a million years! Lying seemed a small price to pay right now.

"Well I'm glad to hear that honey. Try not to call so late next time, alright?"

"Sure Mom. I love you!"

"And I love you, Dawn. Good night."

They said the rest of their goodbyes, and then hung up. Which meant she was officially off the hook for tonight.

She took her first real opportunity at looking around the place, and noted that the cabin seemed decidedly cozy. It had everything a person could need out here, and she wondered how he had come by it. Speaking of which, where had Conway disappeared to? Usually he was the type to stay close to her, or at least, that's how he had been a few years ago when she'd first met him in the tag battle, and later in Professor Rowan's summer camp. Then, she admitted, she had kind of thought of him as a stalker, if a harmless one. He seemed more mature now, if that was possible. A nice change indeed.

"Hoooot Hoooot!" trilled a bird's familiar voice. Dawn glanced about, trying to find where the noise was coming from when she spotted a small perch built into one of the kitchen walls. A Hoot-Hoot was roosting on it, looking her over with its head tilted sideways. She had a sneaking suspicion that it was the same one from earlier, at the lake. If so, did it belong to Conway then?

"Hello there, Hoot-Hoot," she said, trying to look as gentle as possible as she approached the tiny owl Pokemon. It didn't hop away this time, preferring to stare almost haughtily down at her from its perch. Or so she imagined. In truth, the Pokemon could be thinking _anything_ about her, and she wouldn't have a clue as to what was in its mind.

"Hoot?" it chirped, sounding curious. She encouraged it with a beckoning of her finger, and with a smile.

"Don't worry Hoot-Hoot. I just want to be friends with you, 'kay?"

"Hoooot!" it said again, sounding happy. It gave a little hop on its one leg and flew off the perch to land in her outstretched arms. She cradled it, nuzzling it against her neck. Hey, the thing was pretty cute, and it had kept her company out in that scary place. Even if it wasn't much help, she couldn't hold anything against Hoot-Hoot. She'd always kind of wanted to have one, herself.

"I see you've met my Hoot-Hoot," a male voice said behind her so close she was reminded of the old days. She grinned and turned around. Sure enough, there he was, not more than a few feet from her face. Hoot-Hoot seemed to change its mind, instead jumping up to settle on its master's shoulder.

"Aww, and I thought we were buddies now, Hoot-Hoot!" she whined half-heartedly. She wasn't really angry with the bird. Just slightly put out that he'd chosen him over her.

"Having fun, Dawn?"

"Actually I am," she retorted. "What? You didn't think it was possible?"

"No, no," the young man backtracked. "I was just kidding with you."

"Oh!" she realized, flushing a little with embarrassment. "I didn't think about that. You didn't seem the type to... you know, tease."

"Even people like me know how to have fun, Dawn," Conway explained.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I guess I stuck my foot in my mouth again, didn't I?"

"Not too bad," he assured her. "I assume you're feeling better?"

"Nearly one-hundred percent." Hoot Hoot seemed to be bored with this, as the tiny owl took off again, hopping down the hallway on its solitary leg. Neither of the two trainers paid much attention.

"Excellent. Well, are you tired? I can show you the second bedroom if you are."

She considered this idea for a minute. Just a while ago she _had_ felt rather tired, but somehow it'd been all brushed away in the last few minutes. She felt more awake than ever, and to her surprise, she was having a very nice time in his house. He _was_ different than she remembered, in a good way. The same old Conway, but with a few new tricks. That's how she'd describe it. If he wasn't going to bed, then she wasn't about to either!

"No, I'm not tired anymore. You?"

"No, I tend to stay up very late. Bad habit of mine, but I feel more productive at odd hours."

"What do you like to do when you're up then?" she asked. The question was innocent enough, but his answer, were he to be honest with her, was far from appropriate.

"I read, and do things I enjoy. Sometimes I like to take walks or work with my Pokemon. Normal things people do, even during the day," he replied. It wasn't technically a lie, he did do those things. He just did other things that he'd neglected to talk about. Things that would only scare her off if she knew, like how sometimes, she appeared in his thoughts, even though before tonight, he had not seen her in so long. She'd left a major impression on him years ago, and it was safe to say he still had a bit of a crush on her. Only now, he was old enough to realize that how he'd acted before would only scare her off. Maintaining a little distance was the smart way to proceed.

"What do you like to do if you can't sleep?"

"Me?" she asked. "Oh, I would daydream, and occasionally it'd work and I'd fall asleep. If I was in a place that had them, sometimes I'd watch a movie till I got sleepy. It just depended on where I was at the time."

Before he could stop himself, he spoke again. "I have movies."

"If you're interested," he added, hoping to make up for interrupting her.

"That would be really cool! Let's do it!" she exclaimed, sounding somewhat younger than her years. She was also very oblivious to her host, who despite trying to fight it, had just envisioned a not-altogether-unpleasant double entendre to her words. He flushed a little, and pushed a strand of dark green hair out of his face to try and distract himself from _that_ image. It wasn't what he needed to be thinking about right now. Maybe later though, when he was alone, the subject could be re-imagined and dealt with. Only then would it be the time and place to do so.

Still, he had to admit... he'd very much liked what he'd seen.

"Living room's through that door, right?" Her voice momentarily shocked him back into the present. He nodded.

"Why don't _you_ go ahead and pick the movie, Dawn?" he said. She looked even more happy at that, and in a flash, she had exited for the living room, where he was sure she'd be poring through his collection in seconds. Which should give him a minute or two to get a hold of himself. He couldn't very well go in there and watch a movie with his princess when he was having such unreasonable thoughts about her. Ones that would probably disgust her if she were perceptive enough to guess that he had them. He wondered just how much she supposed, in the end.

Lucky for him, she _wasn't_ perceptive, and was having quite the time deciding between two opposing movies. What she was though, was thoughtful, and she ended up picking the one she figured he'd enjoy more. Just as she did, he joined her in the living room, hoping the little talking-to he had given himself in the kitchen would keep things under control. This night had been something out of his fantasies, minus the whole her wanting him part. He was content to sit back and enjoy whatever closeness she was willing to give him. And if that was friends watching a movie, then so be it.

They settled down on the couch as the film started, sitting close but not _too_ close.

Ironically enough, a few minutes in, she found she couldn't even concentrate on the movie.

She felt warm at the thought of all that had happened tonight.

He was so… nice. Sure, there were probably bigger and more complex words that would describe him to a T, but she thought this worked too. It seemed like the years had had a positive affect on him. Maybe he'd just been nervous when he was younger and had been trying too hard to get her attention. Dawn had had a lot of boys who had gone through that - apparently she was a popular girl to crush on - so she recognized the signs.

In the beginning he'd been constantly trying to impress her. Things like showing off how knowledgeable he was, or letting her see how good of a trainer he was, acting like her protector, her knight in the odd situation or two. He'd done so many things, but she regretted that she had never taken much notice of them - feeling a little smothered by such attention, she'd found his focus on her to be 'creepy' in a way. No, she definitely wasn't perfect when she was a young girl. That was something she'd found as she grew up more.

Then again, who is perfect when they're like 12, have no clue who they want to be, and have hormones getting in the way of finding out?

Things were different now. He wasn't quite a show off, and she'd like to think she was being more reasonable too. Yes, things were different, but it was amazing that some things were still the same. He'd saved her life. Protector. He still had that aura of genius around him - but then, she never expected it'd disappear. It was a part of Conway, and not a bad one either. Finally, she was nearly a hundred percent sure that he still liked her. Maybe that would never disappear either.

She found herself very open to the thought. He was more attractive to her now that she could see his good points, and so far she hadn't seen a whole lot of bad points. She was really quite happy right now, she realized that. It was unspeakably nice to be with someone else, another human being who she cared for and who was not a stranger. Somehow, traveling on her own didn't cut it any more.

She glanced to her left. He seemed engrossed in the movie; she must have made a decent selection when she'd chosen it. It was cute. Dawn contented herself for the next few moments in watching him before she started thinking more. What would he do if she pushed him a little? How would he react if she made some sort of move? Was she being conceited in thinking he was still so interested in her?

She leaned her head on his shoulder, and nuzzled against it slightly, letting a soft sigh escape from her lips. Next to her, the young man took the move as well as could be expected, given as he was so surprised it had occurred.

He inhaled sharply. It seemed so improbable, but just maybe she'd let him. If he was good tonight. Things had been going better than usual, after all.

He wasn't normally a touchy-feely sort of person, but if Dawn was, well, then he'd just have to be. And from her give-aways, he had an idea of what she was looking for, so he decided to be bold and do it. Tentatively he slid one arm around her, his hand coming to rest on her waist. She didn't shy away from it at all. The experiment was a success. Fascinating. Better than he'd hoped, that was for certain. And he wasn't the only one.

Dawn smiled. Win! She hadn't been off the mark after all. Fighting the urge to bounce in her seat, she tried to steel herself to watch the rest of the movie. Afterwards, she had _plans_ for him!

* * *

**x**

**x**

**x**

_He was in for it now._

"You've been very good tonight." She looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes, a mischievious expression playing on her face. "Knock it off, will ya?"

If anyone had been there to measure the level of shock he experienced then, it would have been off the charts. He found his heart racing, his insides twisting nervously, and yet, it was all in a good way. Preparing himself for her answer, he spoke up finally and asked, "Tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you. Anything. You only have to ask."

" _Touch me._ "

It was from that point that Conway knew he was doomed. This was going to be the single best night of his life, and the only one that would come close to that level ever again. But damn if he wasn't going to enjoy it while it lasted. Mustering his confidence yet again… he smirked in his signature way. "Dawn, I thought you'd never ask."

He bent his head and closed the space between them before he could rethink this decision, and kissed her hard on the mouth. Hungrily, their lips moved together, and he felt an overwhelming sense of victory for this newest of accomplishments. Her small mouth felt so right when she was kissing him, and she seemed especially eager to be doing this with him. Him, of all people. He may not of understood it, but he wasn't going to complain. This was his princess, and tonight, he'd make her his. One step at a time.

His hands found their way to rest on her hips before yanking her bottom half close. This must have been something she wanted, as she only grinded against him when given the opportunity, which was definitely making him a bit more excited than usual. He could feel himself becoming aroused, and without giving it thought, his tongue pressed into her mouth, seeking to dominate further. Their bodies met again and again even after they came up for air, and neither said a word other than the soft panting noises she was making. He doubted he was the only one of them turned-on right now, but he'd love to find out.

"Bed," she said, her hot breath right at his neck. He wasn't about to disagree, and so when she yanked _him_ by the hand towards his room, he followed dutifully.

A few seconds and a whole load of sexual tension later found them at their destination, wherein she was perched on the edge of his bed, and he was standing in front of her. It had all happened so fast that he hadn't had the time to calculate the proper strategy that would ensure that he made her evening oh-so delightful as he hoped to. Perhaps it was better he had no time to think though, because this was not the sort of thing that should be planned out anyway. Dawn had more or less figured on that she'd be egging him on to this sort of behavior, but it wasn't like she'd devised a step-by-step plan of seduction, kissing followed by gently licking…no.

It could be said, however, that she was a woman who knew what she wanted, and in her current mood, she wasn't afraid to go for it. Which is why he found himself being one-upped by her initiating further contact. His head was spinning, and her hands were on either side of him, and Arceus, he really couldn't have a logical thought right now!

Finding them cumbersome to her plans, she deftly unbuttoned and pulled down his jeans and boxers together in a intriguing fit of impatience. Now that was much better, she thought to herself, growing, quite frankly, wetter at the prospect of his arousal, currently standing proud at the perfect level. She could easily just take him right now if she wanted, and she _did_ want to, but playing with him was far too much fun to stop _now_.

Her hand grasped his stiff member, slowly curling around it and stroking down. He let out a moan that seemed to go right through her as she trembled. Patience, she thought. It'll be my turn soon enough.

_I wonder how he tastes?_

She smiled deviously before licking the smallest patch of his stomach just above the beltline. He jerked in her grasp, and she continued to tease him with one hand, running a slim finger around the head in a tortuously slow fashion. Meanwhile, he found himself shuddering at the pinprick of pleasure just that one touch had given him. It wasn't logical in any way. This was new territory, and oh gods, just feeling any of this made for the best memory of his life - anything else paled by comparison.

"Would you like to feel my mouth on you?" she asked in a sing-song tone, as if she didn't already know the answer, silly woman. He nodded quite stupidly - he thought - in response, and she took that as her confirmation.

"Don't move. I'll do all the work," she promised. "Just relax for me, Conway."

Before he could process just how _high_ it made him feel to hear his name come from her at a time like this, she'd taken as much as she could of him into that unreasonably sweet mouth of hers. If he thought he'd known sensation before, it was nothing compared to right now. He would have had an murmured expletive or two to describe it, but that sort of language was something he vowed never to use around his princess.

 _Nothing like this_.

Her hands went around to grab his ass and pull him closer. He felt a blush coming on, but the truth was he couldn't look away as she bobbed her head. It was all so surreal, as if she'd pulled things he liked from his fantasies and had decided she was going to try them all tonight. Then again… he had a mind that he'd be satisfied no matter what they were doing. He liked the girl more than he could express. That's the way it had always been when it came to her.

And the girl sure had a talent at making him _come_ , that couldn't be argued about. Alas, he was hoping to repay the favor. As in right now.

She stopped breathing for the moment. He climbed up on the mattress behind her, moving along until he was on the other side of the bed with her between his legs.

Conway tentatively reached his hands around her, placing them them on her knees, and gently massaging the flesh there. She lolled her head back against his shoulder, non-verbally encouraging him to go on with what he was doing. Conway then moved his hands up her thighs, digging his fingers in with firm touches, making a chill go down her spine. It'd been a while since she'd been in this sort of position, what with her travels being solitary. It felt wrong but right at the same time.

He paused just at the hem of her skirt and instead brought his hands up to take off her white tank-top, working off the garment effortlessly as if he'd been doing it all his life. His lips pressed an open-mouthed kiss at the base of her neck, and traced his tongue along the exposed skin as he finished taking off the piece of clothing. She shut her eyes, mouth slightly parted as she gave into what she was feeling. He knew what he was doing, that was for certain.

Dawn hadn't worn anything under the blouse, not today anyway. Conway seemed excited at that prospect, as he nibbled on her ear somewhat possessively as he cupped a breast in each hand, his thumbs tweaking her nipples gently. Soon one hand was back on her leg, roaming under her skirt, and then, pushing her panties aside. His fingers brushed against her sex, and she bit down on her lip in response, feeling that oldest sense of need wash over her in an instant.

They were going through with this. There'd be no change in what she'd hoped for.

He kissed the sensitive spot below her ear just as he pushed three fingers inside, stretching her. She let out a whimper, and his other hand went from her breast to her hair, gently massaging her scalp as he moved his fingers in a comfortable rhythm, in-out, in-out. He wanted her to be completely ready for him later. His arousal was beginning to come back. He was a young, virile male and that's all the ready _he_ needed.

 _Did he even know how that felt? Damn_.

Very soon her eyes rolled back in her head, and her lips parted, letting out only a whisper of a noise. Conway smiled and kissed the top of her head, happy now. Next, he moved them both, laying her on her back on the bed gently, his eyes roaming over her summarily, committing her naked curves to memory. She was so indescribably beautiful that none of his fancy words would ever come close. She stumped him thoroughly. Perhaps that's why he'd been so drawn to her in the first place. It wasn't often that he found something that he couldn't figure out, being smart like he was.

"You… you know what you're doing," she managed to get out.

"Mm hmm. You know me, Dawn, I always do my research," he said by way of explanation. She laughed at that, confirming she knew it to be all too true. Taking advantage of the distraction, he eased her legs so that they went around him, and got into position. She peered at him curiously in the midst of her laughter, her eyes wide. 'Was it time?' they seemed to question him. The simple action struck him right down to his core with its appearance of naivety. He didn't expect it, and thus it caught him terribly off guard. He sucked in a deep breath, hoping to resolve the uneasiness that came.

"What's wrong?" she asked, face now worried. He took in another breath, then exhaled.

"Absolutely nothing," he assured her. This was no time to be nervous. Not about something they both clearly wanted. If she didn't want him to, she would have made that known. Still…

"Then let's go," she beamed, her words sliding over him like a Full Restore. Everything was going to be fine.

Now, to show her he was up for it…Aha.

"I already told you, princess, you're going to have to tell me _exactly_ what you want." He smirked somewhat evilly as he knew he had her right where he wanted her. Not that she was unhappy about that, by any means.

She made a cute face at that, and he chuckled. This really was quite a lot of fun, when you got right down to it. He leaned in closer, and when his mouth was right at her ear, he repeated himself. " _Beg_." He took her earlobe between his lips, nibbling on it softly and simultaneously causing a frisson to shoot throught her entire body. His tongue knew exactly what to do to make her want to submit. And she wanted it, oh she positively _needed_ it at this point. She felt like she might explode if she didn't get what she wanted, and if she did, well, then that would lead to a different sort of explosion entirely. The best sort.

"Please…just do it. I need you-"

He pushed his hips forward ever so subtly, grinding the tip of his cock against her only to tease. He wanted her to say the actual words. Desired to hear them from those pretty lips.

Her tone only reached a whisper this time. "Please, I want you inside of me."

_There we go._

He didn't hesitate this time, and they gasped in unison as finally, he entered her as far was possible. Conway started to rock his body, building up a sweet friction between himself and Dawn. In a corny way, he felt like his whole life had been leading up to this moment. Having the lady he had desired finally in his arms was a confidence booster, if nothing else.

She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Conway's neck, feeling her body aching for more. She whimpered, "Faster!"

He could feel the sweat beginning to roll down his forehead as he pumped faster, giving her all he could muster. She was his dream girl, and she deserved his personal best. For her part, she looked lovely, her creamy skin tinged with pink and her dark blue hair splayed messily around her shoulders. Her hips smacked against his as they met with each thrust, and she didn't seem half as innocent as she had at the beginning of the night; in fact, Dawn was full of pleasant surprises today. And he _loved_ it.

He felt her fingers desperately grasping onto the hair at the back of his neck, and could see her face, just inches away from his own, completely tense and freeze. Her eyes pressed closed, and a pink blush lit her countenance once more. He could tell from her expression that she was trying very hard not to scream even as her body trembled from the force of her … _oh gods, yes_. She felt like tossing and turning, anything to prolong this _feeling_. Her body seemed to burst, and yet the sensation was coiled low in her stomach, just at the point where they were joined.

"Oh!" she let out, betraying herself. The single omission then multiplied into a chorus of pants and oh's that seemed to serenade her for the next seconds of her life, almost as if they were coming from somewhere else. Like the sound of water hitting a stormy shore, it was around her. A surreal sort of moment where she forgot her surroundings entirely.

As the feeling dissipated, she let out a small gasp, suddenly feeling that the world had settled again, and she was back on solid ground. Her cobalt eyes flashed open, only to notice that her partner was now mimicking her look from earlier. She smiled sweetly, her hands lowering to rub small circles into his shoulders. _Just let go_. _Join me_. _Your turn._

He slowed down just a bit, finding that he too was wearing down to a certain point. Release seemed so near, the waves of pleasure lapping at his body. Everything in the world right now was between him and her; there was nothing else.

His vision seemed to white out at the very moment he felt himself finish.

He let out a huge sigh of relief. His body felt light, and relaxed even after all that exertion. Best of all, he was euphoric. It had been _so_ long that he'd waited for her to reciprocate any of his yearnings for her, and finally, she had. Things were going how he always thought they should have - holding her close to him in bed, her sweet smile the _only_ thing he wanted to see before he fell asleep - and he was on cloud nine for the first time in his life; he could understand just how nirvana felt now. This was feeling _complete_. Fulfilled. Cherished.

This was… being in love.

"Dawn?"

"Yes?" she asked, as chipper as ever. Her blue eyes seemed to pierce right through him. He pushed a lock of hair out of her face thoughtfully, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Maybe he'd tell her the full truth someday, but someday could, for now, wait a while. He was content. _One step at a time_.

"I like you."

She beamed, and breaking their embrace, she pinned him underneath her, and straddled his lap all in the same breath. Someone wanted another go, he thought gleefully. Or maybe, just to prove a point. Her expression _was_ slightly manic. Her voice teased him when she said, "Gee, Conway, why don't you tell me how you _really_ feel?"

_He was so busted._


End file.
